


Back In School

by CelestialBound



Category: UglyDolls (2019)
Genre: Alpha!Lou, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Closet Sex, Dialogue Heavy, Field Trip, Fluff, M/M, Omega!Nolan, Party, Pining, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 22:28:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19327366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialBound/pseuds/CelestialBound
Summary: Nolan is forced back into high school where he meets a group of outcasts he can easily blend in with, and he also finds himself crushing on the school's only alpha.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was really lazy with this one tbh. thanks writers block :,D
> 
> *also I didn't give a shit about proofreading this just a heads up,,,

It was the first day of high school, well, at least for Nolan. He went into homeschooling when he was in eighth grade and then got three years behind while doing his classes online. He was originally taken out of public school because when he was revealed to be an omega, they thought it would be best to be sent to an all-omega school or be home schooled until he could go on heat inhibitors, so his parents obliged by forcing Nolan to drop out. How he got so behind was due to anxiety. Everyone didn’t believe that it was anxiety that kept him from moving on through school. They’d call him lazy in reality it was always the phone calls with his teachers that he avoided due to his fear of socializing with authority figures. Yet he couldn’t move on in the courses if he didn’t do the calls. So somehow, it had been three whole years and he had to start all over again as a sophomore despite just turning eighteen.

 

It was the beginning of October so it had been two months since school had started which meant everyone was already getting adjusted the environment and by now would already have a group of friends to be around. Nolan would struggle finding a group to settle in, but his age difference would be a hassle, along with the fact that he was an omega. But fortunately for him, he was taking heat inhibitors now and if he kept quiet about his age it would be possible to slip by due to his young looks. Sure, he was eighteen, got his state ID and could legally smoke if he wanted to, but his omega baby-face made him look like he belonged in sixth grade. He’d probably get picked on for that if they didn’t pick on him for his interests or lack of friends first, or, again, the fact he was so behind in school. Hell, he didn’t even know how to drive, so that could be a gateway into being bullied as well. He wasn’t sure what to expect since in middle school he was lucky enough to get ignored instead of harassed (until eighth grade at least). But this was high school, a new territory for him. The only thing he knew about high school were the stereotypes.

 

You have your jocks, preps, goths, nerds, thespians, hipsters, geeks, skaters, and more. But of course, there was the one stereotype that Nolan did fit into: the outsiders. Aka, the awkward, new, home school kid that no one wanted to associate themselves with. He’d have to see for himself whether or not high school would live up to its expectations. 

 

He stood outside the classroom, unsure if he could go in yet or not. In middle school they always urged them to wait outside the room until the teacher came to unlock the door. Nolan waited about twenty minutes until he saw another face pass by. Another ten minutes until a student from his class came in and walked into the classroom signalling that it was okay for him to find a seat. Well, he hoped that there weren’t assigned seats at least. He wanted to ask the other student but he had his earbuds in and Nolan was too shy to try and get his attention. The kid took them out when he noticed Nolan standing there awkwardly.

 

“Why’re you standing there like that?” The kid asked. He had dark skin and black hair that swept across part of his sunglasses. His outfit consisted of mostly black, besides the grey of his hood attached to his leather jacket and a dark blue t-shirt. He flashed a bright grin as he started to wrap his earbud cord around his cell phone.

 

“Uhm, do we have assigned seats?” Nolan asked.

 

“Not really.” The other male said, “Just don’t sit in Lou’s seat.”

 

“Which one is that?”

 

“Front row, middle seat next to the teacher’s desk. He likes to be the center of attention.”

 

“Who’s Lou?”

 

“Heh,” The kid shook his head lightly with an amused smile, “You’ll find out.”

 

Nolan decided to take a seat next to the other male, “May I ask your name?”

 

“I’m UD.”

 

“What’s that stand for?”

 

“Eh, just a nickname. Doesn’t really stand for anything.”

 

“It stands for Ugly Dog,” came another voice that entered the room. A girl with a dark skin and an orange curly afro said as she chewed fruity gum. Her eyes were a light brown that matched her bag that went well with her standard outfit that consisted of yellow shades that seemed to contrast perfectly with her complexion. She held a concerned frown as she looked to UD, “What the hell are you doing Eugene?”

 

“First of all, no it doesn’t.”

 

“Yes it does. He got the name because he was a dog lover in elementary, and well, he wasn’t the most attractive kid.”

 

“Fuck off… Secondly, only my mom calls me by my name so shut it, Wage. Also, where’s Babo and Lucas? Y’all are on the same bus again this year, right?”

 

“Yeah but Babo had to use the bathroom and Lucas ended up waiting for him.”

 

“And Moxy and Ox?”

 

“You know they’re always late. Ox texted the group chat that he’d be leading the pledge today, and Moxy, well, when is she ever early?”

 

“True, true.”

 

“Who’s this?” Wage asked as she looked over to Nolan.

 

“Uhh…”

 

Nolan blinked, “Oh uhm, I’m Nolan. I just moved here.”

 

“Ahh,” Wage said. “New kid. Lou will have fun with you.”

 

Nolan looked over to UD and the boy shrugged. 

 

Wage then explained, “Not to scare ya or anything but Lou likes to mess with anyone he can. And you being brand new means that you’re going to get the spotlight for today. And he  _ hates  _ when someone steals his spotlight.”

 

“Oh boy…” Nolan said.

 

UD leaned back in his chair so it was tilting on its back legs, then kicked his feet on top of the desk, “Not to worry though, he’ll get bored eventually.”

 

“How long will that take?”

 

“Psh, who knows. Days, weeks, maybe months. It really depends on whether or not he finds you to be a fun enough toy.”

 

Nolan held onto his arm, “What do you think he’ll do to me?”

 

“Probably the whole dunking your head in the toilet routine.”

 

“What?!”

 

“I’m kidding.”

 

Wage put a hand on her hip, “Knowing Lou, I wouldn’t be surprised to be honest.”

 

“Will you please tell me who he is?”

 

“Well--”

 

Suddenly two other boys came into the room with expressions of relief on their face. The ginger spoke up,

 

“I thought we were late for class.”

 

“Nah, really early actually.” Wage replied.

 

“Who’s this? New kid?”

 

“Yeah, Nolan.”

 

“Hi…” Nolan said awkwardly.

 

“This is Lucas,” She nodded towards the smaller male with a white dress shirt and grey slacks. “And this is Babo.” She nodded towards the bigger male who had a casual outfit consisting of a grey t-shirt and blue jeans. Their size differences were complete opposites, as Lucas was even shorter than UD. Lucas had dark brown eyes unlike Babo’s blue-ish grey ones, yet both had awkward but comforting expressions. They both had pale skin but the bigger male was by far the more pale of the two. Babo had light brown hair that came off as an ash-like shade, whereas Lucas had dyed hair similar to Wage’s except it was a more fiery red rather than orange. It was when Moxy entered the room that Nolan realized almost all of them seemed to like dying their hair unnatural shades. It was odd to him since he expected the dress code to be more strict. Nolan only had green streaks from the classic boiled kool-aid trick.

 

Moxy had bright pink hair, a matching bow, and a pastel dress with white polka dots. Her skin was darker than Babo’s but lighter than Lucas’s. She had a missing tooth in the front of her mouth but her big smile was charming nonetheless. She immediately noticed Nolan’s green streaks and pointed it out.

 

“Oh! I love the color! Not a lot of people go for green ya know.” 

 

“Thanks. I thought the dress code would be strict here so I avoided dying my entire head.”

 

“Nah, this school isn’t really like other ones. I mean, I’m wearing a dress. Usually dresses are restricted only for dances. Plus, we have merged classes!”

 

“Merged?”

 

“Yeah! That means the grades are mixed… Wow!” She noticed Nolan’s eyes which were different colors. “Are you wearing contacts?!”

 

“Uh no--”

 

“That’s so cool! By the way what grade are you in?”

 

“Sophomore.”

 

“And age?”

 

“I’d rather not say…”

 

“Oh don’t be shy! I got held back twice to be honest. I’m supposed to be a junior but I’m still a freshman.”

 

“I’m supposed to be a senior…”

 

“Well that’s fine!”

 

“Is there anything else I should know about this school?”

 

“Well there’s plenty of extra curricular classes you can take. You should join art with me!”

 

“I-I don’t know…”

 

“Well Wage is into cooking, UD is into dance, Babo is taking extra science and math, Lucas does literature, I’m in art, and Ox is into leadership! And there’s sooo many more to choose from! What are you into?”

 

“I-I’m not sure… I never really got into much.”

 

“Well what do you do in your free time?”

 

Moxy was so in his face that he didn’t even notice that the classroom was getting more filled up, but he tried to think of an answer. But if he were to be completely honest, he really didn’t have anything he was really into. All he did at home was sit around on his phone on social media or watching cartoons. He used to love reading until he spiraled into depression... 

 

“Uhhh…”

 

Before he could come up with something the bell rang and they were forced to seat themselves as the teacher walked into the room. Nolan found himself looking to the front of the class where Lou was supposed to be sitting. He was curious to how the bully would look in real life compared to how they did in shows. It always went either way, the bully being unbearably unattractive or the complete opposite. It all depended on the film. When Nolan laid his eyes on the blonde, he thought that it would have been a lot easier if Lou wasn’t attractive. Sure, Nolan kept in mind that looks weren’t what makes a person but he didn’t expect himself to fall for the person that would be giving him hell for the rest of the school year.

 

Lou walked in right after the bell with a football in hand, tossing it to the teacher with a smirk,

 

“Sorry for being late, teach.”

 

He sat down at his desk and the teacher tossed the ball back, “Practice  _ after  _ school, Louis.”

 

Lou nodded with a smile, “Sure thing.” He set the ball down at his feet and leaned back in his chair, elbow against the arm rest while setting his face against his fist. 

 

“We have a new student,” The teacher began. “Nolan, would you come up here and introduce yourself?”

 

Everyone looked back at the brunette and his face went a bright shade of red. He got out of his chair and walked to the front of the classroom, tripping over the football and landing hard. He groaned and the teacher immediately scolded Lou. 

 

“Hey, not my fault the kid needs a better set of eyes.” Lou said as an excuse.

 

Nolan got up and then looked to the crowd in front of him, suddenly feeling as if he was going to have a panic attack. He accidentally met Lou’s gaze and his heartbeat sped up on the spot. 

 

“M-may I sit back down?” Nolan asked before he would start crying.

 

The teacher saw his nervousness and allowed him to. Nolan covered his face when he sat back down at his desk and just listened to the lesson without revealing his eyes. After class, UD patted him on the back.

 

“Relaaaax, it’s not that bad.” He reassured while they were all in the hallway.

 

“I made a total fool of myself and it’s only the first day!” Nolan exclaimed.

 

Moxy tried cheering him up as well, “Don’t worry! On my first day I accidentally hit Lou in the face with a door and he’s hated me ever since. As long as you don’t do something like that, then he won’t hold a grudge. Everyone else will forget about any small mistakes. It’s fine!”

 

“She’s right,” UD said. “Can’t get any worse than hitting Mr. Perfect in the face with a door. I’m surprised he didn’t try to sue. But if it were me,” He looked around and whispered, “I would have done it twice.” He laughed.

 

“So what class do you have next, Nolan?” Moxy asked.

 

Nolan got a paper out of his bag and unfolded it, “Let’s see… We just came back from English, so I’ll be heading to Math next.”

 

“And for your two final classes I assume you’ll be free? Considering you only have core classes signed up for.”

 

“I guess… You’d think they’d talk to me before I started school?”

 

“Well they’re supposed to discuss it with your parents.”

 

“My parents aren’t good at telling me things.” Nolan said, staring at the paper. 

 

“Well if you wanna talk about anything we’re here for you!” Moxy said. “And we’ll make sure to tell you everything you need to know. Everything is pretty out in the open with us.”

 

“Wait, does this mean we’re friends?”

 

“Of course!” 

 

“O-oh.” 

 

Nolan had no clue that he’d be able to make friends that fast, especially after just one class. He started to feel a little hopeful before he heard a groan from behind them and was shoved to the side by Lou.

 

“You guys are so fucking slow.” The blonde commented while passing by with four other guys from the class.

 

“Hey!--” Wage almost interfered but UD held her back.

 

“It’s not worth it.” UD tried to remind her.

 

“Sad to see you’re hanging with the outcasts.” Lou said as he walked in front of them. He turned his head to look back at Nolan directly, “But I think we all know you would have ended up there anyways.” He smirked and then turned his gaze forward before sprinting ahead, turning his body and tossing the football to one of the other jocks. He bumped into a kid and shoved him aside, spilling his books and papers all over the floor while laughing.

 

Moxy was about to stand up for the kid but Wage held her back like UD did with her, “Come on Mox, you know it’ll only make things worse.”

 

“Well,” Moxy sighed as they continued walking. “I’ll let UD take you to math since you have the same teacher.”

 

“Oh okay.”

 

They parted ways and UD stuck by Nolan’s side, “Sorry about Moxy. She’s talkative, especially with newbies… Anyways, let's see the rest of your schedule.” Nolan handed the paper to him and he hummed in thought. “Do we seriously have the same schedule? Weird. That’s good though, now I don’t have to deal with Lou by myself.”

 

“You have the same classes with him?”

 

“Yeaaah, it’s a real bummer. Thankfully he says he respects me the most out of our group, which means he kinda lays off. But it’s a shame cuz he always tries to get me to leave Moxy and the gang. It’s not cool.”

 

“Do you think he’ll try and do that with me?”

 

“Who knows.”

  
  


Lou had to part ways with the jocks as he went to the next class along with Nolan and UD. Lou took his usual seating at the front of the class and Nolan and UD went for the very back. Since they were the only ones in the classroom, Lou decided to turn around and start talking to Nolan from across the room.

 

“Hey, new kid.”

 

“Y-yes?” Nolan replied.

 

“I know your little secret.”

 

“What?”

 

“Oh, nothing.” He said as he turned back around and tapped his pencil on the desk. 

 

UD looked to Nolan confused.

 

“I don’t know what he means…”

 

UD shrugged and let it pass. Nolan wasn’t even sure what Lou meant by what he said. They hardly even interacted. Nolan tried to brush it off for the rest of the day as UD hung out with him throughout each class they had, until it came down to the two final hours of the day where Nolan wasn’t sure what to do because he hadn’t signed up for miscellaneous classes. He decided to just hang out in the library until the final bell. 

 

Moxy ran up to him as he was walking to the parking lot where his parents would be picking him up.

 

“Hey Nolan! Would you wanna walk to my house with us so we could hang out?”

 

“Oh uhm, I would but my parents are picking me up. Or at least, they should be… If they didn’t forget.”

 

“Oh. Okay. Maybe another day then! Good luck Nolan!” She went back to her group of friends and they went their separate ways.

 

Nolan ended up going back home and thinking about how embarrassing it was to trip over Lou’s football in the first class. Then he remembered how Lou looked at him, although it wasn’t in a positive way, he couldn’t help but feel something for him. Was it too soon to have those feelings? Especially knowing that Lou wasn’t that great of a person. He wondered if Lou was another beta, or was he an alpha?.. He couldn’t be an alpha, hardly anyone was ever an alpha.

 

Nolan then heard his parents arguing about something in the other room. It was happening more often. He expected them to get divorced but he knew they were trying to wait till he graduated. But he knew they wouldn’t last, after all he had another three years. He knew they were disappointed in him, but he couldn’t help but take his time. If he tried to take his GED he would surely fail the math section, and his dad kept telling him not to do it. He heard more yelling and sighed. He’d have to mention the extra classes another day. He put in his headphones and turned on some music to drown the shouting out.


	2. Chapter 2

The first week went by smoothly as Nolan got accustomed to things. He got to meet Ox who was average height, tan complexion, and an accent that gave away that he was from the south. Nolan had some more embarrassing moments of walking into the wrong classrooms and going up to the wrong lockers, but overall things didn’t seem so bad. He managed to make a group of friends that were all different yet shared the same status as outcasts. He learned that everyone in the group were betas which wasn’t surprising since that’s what almost everyone was. The population statistics were 85% betas, 14% omegas, and 1% alphas. Eventually though, Nolan found out who in the school was an alpha. It was during lunch when Moxy casually mentioned it.

 

Wage shook her head, “Alphas are just aggressive.”

 

“Yeah, I mean look at Lou. But then again, he’s the only one we know so maybe it’s just us feeding into stereotypes… I mean, I’m sure he’s not that bad if we got to know him!”

 

“Wait wait wait.” Nolan said. “Lou’s an alpha?”

 

“Yeah, only one in the school.”

 

“Geez, no wonder all the girls cling to him.”

 

“Speaking of which,” Wage said. “Here they come.” 

 

Four girls approached their table, one with pink hair, one with blue, another with purple, and lastly one with magenta. The girl with hot pink hair called Kitty spoke up,

 

“I couldn’t help but hear you talking about Lou. And I’ve seen you,” She pointed to Nolan. “Staring at him in class. So what’s your deal?”

 

“W-what?!”

 

The blue hair girl named Tuesday then spoke, “You better not be crushing on him. He’s mine.” Two of the other girls looked to her and she nervously corrected herself, “I mean, he’s ours.”

 

“I don’t have a crush on him!”

 

“Better not.” Kitty said. “We’ve spent years trying to get close to him and we’re not going to let some lame outcast get in the way.”

 

“We don’t even talk!”

 

The girls all looked to each other and the girl with purple hair named Lydia finally said something to Nolan, “Then let’s keep it that way, yeah?”

 

“Yeah, sure…”

 

The three girls looked to their fourth clique member with the magenta hair, expecting her to say something as well. 

 

“Y-yeah.” Mandy agreed.

 

“Well,” Kitty said. “We’ll be on our way then.” She purposely knocked over Nolan’s drink that poured onto his lap, saying a quick ‘woops’ before walking away.

 

“Seriously?” He muttered.

 

Mandy looked back worriedly after they began to walk over to their own table, but turned to face forward after bumping into someone. Babo pulled out napkins to help Nolan with the mess and Nolan sighed while wiping down the table. He looked down to his pants which looked like he had wet himself and groaned. 

 

“This is embarrassing…”

 

“You can switch into my dance clothes if you wanna.” UD mentioned. “They’re in my locker.”

 

“Oh you don’t have to--”

 

“I’ll just give you my combination, don’t worry.” He grabbed a pen from his book bag and wrote down the numbers on a spare napkin. “It’s right next to the bathroom too. For now, here’s my hoodie to wrap around yourself.” He took off his hoodie and handed it to Nolan. “Good luck home-boy.”

 

“Thank you so much… I’ll try and hurry up.” He stood up to quickly wrap the hoodie around his waist and took the napkin with him to go get the clothes out of the locker. After getting the pair of black sweatpants and t-shirt from a matching black bag, he saw the sneakers and decided to take those as well, since his dress shoes didn’t match the outfit whatsoever. He put the clothes back into the bag and just brought the whole thing to the bathroom stall where he got dressed. As he was finishing up, he heard Lou’s voice from outside.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a minute. I gotta take a piss real quick.” He said.

 

“Don’t take too long jacking off!” 

 

“Oh shut the fuck up!” Lou shouted back as he walked in. He went over to the urinal and began to do his business, and Nolan couldn’t help but blush madly as his heart raced and he felt himself heat up out of anxiety. He quietly pulled his legs up onto the toilet seat to avoid being noticed. Curiosity got the best of him, since this was the moment to find out if Lou really was an alpha. He stood up and peaked over the stall carefully, looking down at Lou and noticing the knot at the base of his…

 

Nolan’s footing gave way as he slipped and let out a yelp before falling. Lou looked over and heard the boy fall. He finished up, zipping his pants back up and then going over to knock on the stall door. 

 

“You okay in there?”

 

Nolan wasn’t sure if he should reply or not, but he decided not to give himself away and just stayed silent.

 

“Well okay then…” Lou said before washing his hands and leaving.

 

Nolan held onto his chest, trying to get his breathing back to a normal pace so his heart would stop racing. He waited for a few minutes until he was sure the coast would be clear, then left the bathroom and put the clothes into his own locker, heading back to the lunchroom.

 

“Yo man, why’d you take so long?” UD asked. All their trays were gone so Nolan must have taken longer than he thought.

 

“Sorry, I ran into you-know-who.”

 

“Lou?” Moxy asked.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Did he harass you?”

 

“He didn’t know I was there thankfully. But I waited so I wouldn’t run into him in the hall.”

 

He wasn’t sure if he should bring up the details. After a quick thought he knew it’d be too weird to admit it, so he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t eat much, since all he could think of was Lou’s...

He closed his eyes, trying to think of anything other than what he saw. It must have just been his omega hormones getting in the way. He should have just kept to himself. His face was heating up as he thought about Lou in general, but now that he knew that the blonde was an alpha… It drove him wild. He noticed himself start to get aroused which was abnormal for him due to the inhibitors, so he opened his eyes to pay attention to the conversation that was occurring in the group so he wouldn’t think about his new feelings. Yet Nolan couldn’t even focus on the conversation, all he could think of was being breeded by an alpha, by Lou. He tapped his foot anxiously as he tried covering his lap with his backpack. 

 

“You okay there Nolan?” Moxy asked.

 

“I’m fine.” He said as casually as he could.

 

Was he having a heat? It was hard to tell since he hadn’t had one since he was in middle school. He did feel warm and light headed… Sort of nauseous… But he was on the inhibitors, surely they’d block it out. 

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” 

 

“I think I need to see the nurse.” Nolan admitted. He got up but held his backpack in front of him to cover up his arousal. 

 

“Do you want one of us to take you?”

 

“I’m good.” He said before rushing out of the lunchroom.

 

Instead of the nurse he ran back into the bathroom where he threw his backpack to the ground and sprinted for the stall, slamming it behind him and locking it. He sat on the toilet seat where he pulled his pants down and began to masturbate then and there. He didn’t know how long since he had done it, but it was almost unbearable when he was in the hallway trying to get away from everyone. He whimpered as he touched himself, thinking about the jock who had been on his mind ever since he started going to this school. 

 

“Ah! Lou!” He yelled out, immediately covering his mouth with his free hand.

 

_ ‘Did I really just say that?’ _

 

He remained silent for as long as he could before he gasped out, followed by Lou’s name again, but this time it came out more as a whine.

 

“Louuu…”

 

It was a few more strokes that put him over the edge as he thought about the blonde pinning him up against the bathroom stall and having his way with him. The thought of someone walking in on him didn’t even cross his mind, but thankfully he was able to finish up without anyone interrupting. He made a mess on the floor but wiped it up with toilet paper, the embarrassment flooding his mind. Did he really just do that? He opened the stall and grabbed his backpack off the ground. He really did do that… He noticed the arousal faded so luckily it wasn’t a real heat. Who knows what he would have done if it was. He couldn’t just hide in the bathroom all day. But it was fine, he was back to normal. He was late for class however, so he had to face the stares of his peers that were directed at him as he walked into the room and took his seat. 

 

At the end of the day, Nolan was supposed to walk home because his parents were working late. It would be a long walk but he had his earbuds. Yet Moxy went up to him before he reached the sidewalk. 

 

“Hey, would you wanna join us going back to my place?”

 

“Oh,” He thought about it, he didn’t really have anything else planned. “Sure.”

 

“Awesome!”

 

She grabbed his hand and brought him towards their group of friends as she led the way to her house. The walk was just like all the times that they walked to class together except instead of talking about school they talked about what they wanted to do at Moxy’s. Moxy also explained that her grandma weren’t home often so she got the place to herself most days, and they didn’t mind her friends coming over in the evenings and weekends. Moxy skipped a lot, occasionally turning herself around to make sure she wasn’t going too fast. It was about twenty minutes till they reached her house which was small but inviting. She got a key out from under the doormat and unlocked the door, letting them all inside. Nolan looked around, it was a stereotypical house for a grandma, antiques everywhere along with the smell of old books, and flower wallpaper throughout the halls. 

 

“Well, welcome to my home!” Moxy said to Nolan while she guided them to her living room and plopped down on the floor with her legs criss-crossed. 

 

“Thanks. It’s really nice.” Nolan said. 

 

The others had their usual spots to sit down at, and Nolan just took a spare spot on the couch next to Babo and Lucas. 

 

“So what do you guys usually do?” Nolan asked.

 

“We usually take turns playing video games.” UD explained.

 

“Or just talk about school and such.” Moxy also said. “Speaking of which, is it okay if I ask something personal? If it’s something you don’t wanna answer you certainly don’t have to.”

 

“Uh, yeah go for it.”

 

“Well, have you been watching Lou a lot like his followers said?”

 

“I mean, I’ve been keeping an eye on him, yeah. After all he keeps knocking things out of my hands in the hallway, I don’t want to find myself alone with him.”

 

“I see. I don’t think anyone does.”

 

Nolan was relieved his excuse was bought, since after all he knew that it was something a bit more than that. UD turned on the Xbox and got out the controllers and handed one to Nolan.

 

“Maybe a few hours of gaming will keep your mind off of it.”

 

“Hopefully.” Nolan smiled.

 

The evening was the best that Nolan had experienced in a long while, until he came home that night.

 


	3. Chapter 3

Nolan skipped the next school day, and instead lied down in bed the entire morning just thinking about the incident the night before after he came back from Moxy’s house. He walked in on his parents arguing again but this time it went a bit further than just yelling. His mom had hit his dad square in the face, nails scratching his skin leaving a giant red mark near his eye. She left and stayed at a hotel while his dad stayed home from work that day. Nolan checked on him around noon and explained that it was just temporary, but Nolan knew the truth. They’d be divorcing soon, it was just clear it wasn’t going to last long. Moxy left him a text asking if he was okay, which he was going to reply to soon but didn’t have the energy to say anything till later that evening. 

 

Nolan managed to make it to school that day and noticed that Lou was watching for him as he walked into homeroom. Lou immediately looked away however, acting as if he wasn’t interested. Nolan brushed it off and sat down, unsure if he was prepared to go through another long day of lectures.

 

It seemed Lou got more aggressive that day, pinning Nolan against the lockers and asking him about where he was.

 

“So where were you yesterday?” Lou asked.

 

“I was at home. Why do you suddenly care?”

 

“Was it a heat, omega?”

 

“No, if it were a heat I’d take the whole week off… Besides, I don’t think you’re allowed to disclose my roll.”

 

“It’s hard not to when your scent reeks up the whole classroom.”

 

“Speaking of which, can you let me go now? We’re about to miss the bell.” Nolan attempted to move past but Lou pushed him back against the lockers.

 

“Maybe you just need to bathe.” 

 

“What?”

 

Lou grabbed a hold of Lou’s tie and practically dragged him to the bathroom, kicking a stall open and letting go of the tie to move his grip to Nolan’s brown hair. He kicked Nolan towards the ground and then moved his head towards the toilet bowl.

 

“Lou! What the hell are you doing?!”

 

“Getting rid of your annoying scent.” The blonde said before dunking his head in the water.

 

He held it there for a few seconds before lifting his head back up, then pushing it back down and even flushing the toilet to get the water flowing in his face. Nolan struggled by placing his hands on the edges and trying to push himself away. It went on for about five minutes before Lou finally got bored and let go. Nolan gasped for air and scooted backwards. 

 

“God, you still reek.” Lou said before backing out of the stall. “See you around, omega.”

 

Nolan wanted to run after him and deck him right in the face but he would have been pummeled if he attempted to fight back. He thought about telling a teacher, but would rather save himself the embarrassment. He washed his face in the bathroom sink with hand soap but couldn’t wash off the disgust he felt. He couldn’t tell what he was feeling more of: anger or disappointment. He looked at himself in the mirror and brushed his drenched hair back out of his face. His eyes were watering but he took a moment to practice some slow breathing methods by counting down from ten. But then he began to think about how he’d get to class all soaked, how he’d have to explain it, and how his peers would react. He thought about the smirk Lou would give him and what the blonde would tell everyone about what happened, and finally the thought of Lou telling everyone he’s an omega came to mind and he lost it. 

 

Nolan couldn’t help but cry, wiping his wet cheeks as the tears flowed consistently from his mismatched eyes. He held onto the sink, continuing to wipe his wrist against his eyes each time more streamed down. After a couple minutes, UD walked in and looked towards Nolan.

 

“Hey, I was wondering where you went… What happened?” Nolan asked, clearly concerned.

 

Nolan turned around and tried to stop sniffling, “Nothing… It’s nothing.”

 

“Uh, that’s not gonna work with me, man. You’re drenched and crying, I may be kinda dumb with schoolwork but I wasn’t born yesterday.”

 

“If I tell you, will you promise not to tell the others?”

 

“Yeah, I won’t. You can be open with me.”

 

“Well Lou--”

 

“SHIT I KNEW IT WAS THAT SON OF A BITCH.”

 

“Woah wait! I didn’t even--”

 

“I’m gonna kill that blonde-haired prick.”

 

“It’s not that big of a deal!”

 

“Dude, you may not care but I’m your friend. You need to at least tell a teacher or something, you can’t let him get away with something like this.”

 

“I can’t…”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I’m already embarrassed as it is… Do you mind if I borrow your dance clothes again?”

 

“Yeah, sure. No problem… But hey, Nolan,”

 

“Yes?”

 

“If you need me to confront Lou just let me know. I may be short but I can kick ass.” UD grinned.

 

“Thank you… I think I’d like to keep this a secret though.”

 

“I got you. No worries. I’ll get those clothes, be right back.” He left the bathroom and jogged to his locker to get his black bag and came back and handed it right over to the brunette. “Here.”

 

“Thanks, UD. It means a lot.”

 

“Ahh don’t mention it.” 

 

Nolan brought the bag into the stall and when he was getting dressed, UD asked him another question,

 

“Hey, uh, would you wanna skip class instead of walking in late?”

 

“Any particular reason?”

 

“I mean, I doubt you wanna see Lou after what happened… And I figured hey, we could walk to the nearest convenience store, maybe get a drink? Or snacks?”

 

“I don’t have any money on me.”

 

“Oh no, I’d pay for it. I have cash on me.”

 

Nolan exited the stall wearing UD’s dance outfit, “I don’t wanna be a hassle--”

 

“No no not at all!”

 

“You really don’t have to spend money on me just because I got my head dunked in the toilet you know.” Nolan gave a small smile to lift the mood.

 

“I know, I know. But I mean it, we should skip class just this once.”

 

“I guess you’re right.” 

 

UD smiled brightly and took the bag from him, guiding the brunette to the hallway to put the bag away in his locker and guided him out of the building. They started walking a few blocks away to the corner store and UD started talking casually.

 

“You know, you look good in my dance clothes. You should really consider joining the dance team.”

 

“I don’t think I’d be good at dancing. Like, at all.”

 

“Oh come on, everyone’s pretty bad at first… Especially white people.” He laughed. “I’m kidding, you’d do fine once you got the hang of it.” 

 

“Yeah, maybe…” Nolan said. “I’m still trying to figure out who I am, you know? I don’t even know what I like to do in my free time, and my parents expect me to finish school and get a job when in reality I still feel like I’m fourteen. Hell, I even look the part.” He chuckled lightly. “But yeah… I have no clue what I’m going to do with my life.”

 

UD looked at him and then back to the sidewalk, trying to come up with something to say, “Well, I guess in a sense everyone feels that way at some point. Most people at least. Not to invalidate you, I don’t wanna come across like I’m saying your feelings aren’t valid and all…” He sighed. “What I’m trying to say is that, you’re not alone. I know it can get tiring to hear, but I think that a lot of people have felt like that, but the thing to keep in mind is that people have also moved past that.”

 

“What about the people who killed themselves over it?”

 

UD let out a big puff of air from his lips, “That’s a bit depressing.”

 

“I’m sorry...”

 

“Nah it’s fine. It was a genuine question. Well, I think if they gave it a chance they would have moved past it. It’s really depressing that they couldn’t make it. Life is shit, and sometimes people just can’t handle it. They did their best though… But yeah, again, I feel as if you give life a chance you’ll find a path eventually.”

 

Nolan bit his lip, “What if that path isn’t the right one?”

 

“Well you’ve got a whole lifetime of changing paths. It’s not like there’s a single road that you can’t turn back on, ya know?”

 

“Yeah, I get what you mean.”

 

“I know positivity isn’t something you always wanna hear… Usually when I tried to be open about my feelings people would shut it down quite fast. I’m not trying to do that, I swear.”

 

“You’re fine…”

 

“I just hate seeing you upset like this… To be honest, we haven’t known each other long but I consider you a really close friend.”

 

“Same here. I think you guys are the best friend group I’ve ever had.”

 

UD smiled, “Nolan, I think I need to tell you something.”

 

“Yeah sure, what is it?”

 

He looked over to the brunette and stopped in his tracks, causing Nolan to do the same. 

 

“I really like you.”

 

Nolan smiled, “I like you too, UD.”

 

“You do?”

 

“Yeah I mean, after being the first person to talk to me, and after letting me borrow your clothes not for the first time, but for the  _ second  _ time this week, how could I not like you? You’re already one of my closest friends out of the friend group. And, keep it between you and me, but I think you really are my closest.”

 

It wasn’t exactly what UD expected, but he smiled anyways, “That’s good to hear, man.”

 

Nolan kept walking and UD followed along, clearly let down but he tried to hide it with a smile. The brunette clearly didn’t understand what UD meant by his confession, but he wasn’t sure how to clear it up. Maybe it was the possibility that Nolan  _ did  _ know what he meant, but purposely friend-zoned him. He shrugged it off though, hoping that Nolan wouldn’t soon come to realize what he meant later on and ask him about it. He wanted to avoid any awkwardness now due to his growing anxiety. He didn’t want to weird Nolan out or anything, and now that the thought about it he should have just kept it to himself. 

 

It was a nice outing, but after they went back to their classes, Moxy asked a question as they were all heading home.

 

“Hey Nolan, are you going on the zoo field trip next week?”

 

“The what?” He replied.

 

“You weren’t here for when they started planning it but I’m sure if you let our homeroom teacher know you want to go they can make arrangements.”

 

“I’ll have to ask my parents. I’m not sure if they’d pay for something like that.”

 

“I’ll pay for you.” UD said.

 

“Oh what? You don’t have to do that!”

 

“It’s fine. I want to. After all it wouldn’t be fair that all of us are going besides you. Plus it’s not that expensive.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Nolan smiled, “Okay. Thank you.”

 

“I wonder who we’ll get paired up with!” Moxy said.

 

UD thought to himself, hoping that he’d get paired up with Nolan.


	4. Chapter 4

The day of the field trip soon arrived and they were being assigned partners for safety and convenience. Moxy was with Mandy, Kitty with Lydia, Tuesday with Wage, Babo with Ox, and UD with Lucas. UD seemed let down and Lucas knew why, since UD had told him about his new crush just two days prior. 

 

“Maybe they can make arrangements.” Lucas said. “Do you want me to ask?”

 

“Nah that’d be weird… Plus…” UD took in a big breath of air and exhaled then muttered. “I already asked… We’re not allowed to switch partners.” He longingly looked to Nolan who was sitting in his seat, nervously listening for his name to be called.

 

Everyone was getting partners already, and when it came down to the last two, Nolan realized before his name was even called.

 

“Nolan, you’ll be with Lou.” The teacher stated.

 

“What?!” Lou stood up, objecting. “You can’t pair me with him!”

 

“Sorry, but it’s random. And we don’t have time to deal with pairing friends together because that’d lead to people being left out. Now come on, the buses are almost ready to leave. Pair up and  _ walk  _ out, no running.”

 

UD looked to Nolan, “Sheesh. I’m sorry about your partner… If you want, you can follow me and Lucas around.”

 

“I don’t know if Mr. Hotshot will let me…”

 

UD took in a sharp inhale, “Yeaaahh… Who knows. But seriously, you have my number if you need me.”

 

“Thanks…”

 

The front of the class started walking out of the room with their partners and Lou strode to the back to meet up with Nolan. He mumbled something under his breath that Nolan was able to make out.

 

“I can’t believe I’m stuck with the male omega.” Lou said with a disappointed sigh. He had his hands in his jacket pockets, and he looked Nolan up and down. “I get to decide where we go and what we do. Got it?”

 

“What if I want to do something?”

 

Lou rolled his eyes, “Just follow me, got it?”

 

Nolan slightly shook his head, “Fine then.”

 

They were the last two to leave the classroom and get on the bus, and luckily for Nolan they sat at the very back. Or at least, that’s what he thought at first. Once the realization that Lou could say and do anything to him while they were back there came to mind, his anxiety began to grow. Lou actually let Nolan sit by the window though which was nice, but then he found out that Lou only let him sit there because he wanted to be able to sit on the edge of the seat towards the middle lane so he could talk to other people. Nolan had snuck his earbuds so he put them in and listened for most of the ride. 

 

Eventually Lou got bored of talking so he leaned back in his seat, glancing towards the omega. He took out one of Nolan’s earbuds and Nolan turned his head in shock. Lou put the earbud in and listened. Nolan could tell he was about to make some rude remark but then Lou’s facial expression shifted. He crossed his arms and stayed leaned back with that serious expression. He even closed his eyes. Nolan stared and then leaned back towards the window, but not enough to let the cord fall out of one of their ears. 

 

It was a long ride, two hours to be exact. For a full hour Nolan played a mixture of bands, mostly within the vast genre of rock. Nolan wasn’t sure what kind of music the jock would be into, but it sort of made sense he’d at least tolerate rock. He didn’t seem to be a musical kind of guy, yet he was clearly pleased with Nolan’s music taste. 

 

They finally arrived at the zoo and they were all eager to get off the bus. It only took a few minutes for everyone to pass the gates and go their separate ways. UD looked to Nolan as he walked away with the blonde, still with his earbuds in. Lou seemed to be just fucking around, walking anywhere he wanted to, which annoyed Nolan since he actually was interested in going to certain exhibits. He wanted to see the aquatic section, yet Lou was eager to see the wild cats. Nolan didn’t mind seeing them but it didn’t make sense to skip every exhibit on the way as it wasted time. 

 

Nolan took out one of his earbuds, “Why don’t we just go along with everyone else? It makes more sense to stop by every exhibit before seeing the cats.”

 

“Okay but we could end up wasting our time seeing the boring animals and miss out on seeing animals that actually hunt.”

 

“That’s all you care about isn’t it? An animal doesn’t need to be a strict carnivore to be interesting.”

 

“Remember what I said before? Just follow me and I won’t beat you up.”

 

“Right…” Nolan said, glancing at his phone. “Ah fuck.” He forgot to turn on his battery saver so his battery was already low. He had to keep it on for emergencies, so he had to make the decision to close his music app, wrap the cord around the device and then slide it back into his pocket. 

 

At first Nolan was fine, but the cold slowly got to him, he pulled on Lou’s jacket to get him to stop for a moment, “Could we at least find an exhibit that’s indoors? I’m freezing out here.”

 

“Sorry but I don’t control the fucking weather. It’s fall, you should have expected it to be cold out, moron.”

 

“Oh come on. It was warm yesterday, so you can’t just blame me for expecting it to be similar.”

 

Lou groaned and took off his jacket, making Nolan confused as he handed it over to him.

 

“What?” Nolan asked.

 

“Take it. I don’t want to hear you whine the entire time.”

 

Nolan scoffed, “You think I’m just going to--”

 

“Do you want to get hypothermia or not? We’re gonna keep going, we’re not stopping.”

 

Nolan looked at him with an annoyed expression and yanked the jacket away from him. He put it on, the sleeves going past his hands due to the size of it.

 

“I look like an idiot in this.”

 

“Don’t you always?”

 

“Just keep walking.”

 

Lou did as told, rushing ahead of Nolan until they reached the lion exhibit. Lou rested his arms against the railing and looked around for one of the lions, but none seemed to be out in the open. 

 

“What the hell? Where are they?”

 

“You said it yourself, it’s fall, they’re probably inside for warmth. Which, we could be too if you would have listened to me.”

 

“I’m not even cold. Besides, they have fur.”

 

“They live in the savanna, idiot.”

 

Lou ignored him, stepping onto the cement ledge and leaning over the railing to get a better look. 

 

“Can we please just go inside? They aren’t out here.” Nolan tried convincing.

 

“They’re just hiding.”

 

“No, they aren’t.”

 

Lou backed down away from the railing and grabbed a hold of one of Nolan’s sleeves, throwing him against the railing, making the metal shake slightly. Lou held him there, 

 

“Maybe they just need a little wake up call. I bet if I tossed you in there they’d come out.”

 

Nolan tried shoving him away, “Knock it off.”

 

“I wonder if they’d kill you instantly, or slowly. I think we should find out.”

 

“I’m serious, Lou. Don’t make me get the teach-- WOAH!”

 

The railing collapsed backwards and Nolan and Lou fell into the exhibit, the blonde falling onto Nolan with all his weight. The air in Nolan’s lungs seemed to escape as he gasped due to the fall and crushing presence of Lou on top of him. After he caught his breath, he groaned in pain. When he regained some strength he attempted pushing the alpha off. Lou lay there for a few more moments before shoving himself off, dusting himself off in disgust.

 

“Jesus Christ…” Lou muttered.

 

Nolan quickly picked himself up off the ground and turned his back, “We seriously need to get out of here.”

 

“What? I thought you said there were no lions.”

 

“We can still get in serious trouble.”

 

“We’ll tell them it was an accident.”

 

Nolan sighed, “Anyways, I’ll call UD to get someone.” He took out his phone out of his jean pocket and found that it was dead. “Oh come on! Ugh. Do you have yours on you?”

 

“Check my jacket pockets.”

 

Nolan reached in and didn’t feel anything. Lou started to look worried.

 

“Not there?” He asked.

 

“Nope.”

 

“Dammit. I must have left it on the bus.”

 

“Well, guess we’ll just have to wait until someone shows up…” He looked up at Lou who had a look of total fright. “What’s wrong? Oh god don’t tell me…” He slowly turned his head and then body only to be facing a male lion. 

 

Lou started to whisper, “We’re so fucked.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Nolan whispered. “Male lions usually aren’t the hunters, I mean, they do, but they’re quite lazy if I remember correctly… It’s the females you have to worry about--”

 

Another lion hopped out over a rock, peering down at them. A lioness that slowly wavered her tail back and forth. 

 

“Can I worry now?”

 

“Yeah… But don’t freak out. Just don’t move.”

 

Lou took in a deep breath. Exhale. Another inhale. And so on. Nolan did the same, but started to slowly back up next to Lou. The blonde stayed as still as he could, heart racing with beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead despite the cold.

 

“You know, omega, I bother you because I like you.” Lou admitted. “There, I said it.”

 

“Don’t call me that. Also, wait, what?”

 

“Ever since you walked in the class and I got a whiff of your scent, it sort of drove me crazy. I tease you because I’m interested in you… You know, I never really liked girls and the only omegas in the school are girls, well, until you came along.”

 

“You’re confessing this now?!”

 

Due to the volume increase of Nolan’s voice, the lions got a bit closer, looking curiously at them. Another lioness appeared.

 

“Oh fuck we’re going to get eaten alive.”

 

“I doubt it. The zoo keeps them well fed…”

 

Two people appeared above them next to the broken railing. It was UD and Lucas. 

 

“Yo what the fuck are you guys doing down there?!” UD shouted.

 

“Shhh! Lower your voice!” Nolan said as quietly as he could but loud enough for them to hear.

 

Lucas spoke quickly, “You guys stay put! I’ll go get help!” He rushed away to find a zookeeper. 

 

UD didn’t know exactly what to say, he needed to comfort Nolan though. He needed the brunette to make it through this. 

 

“Nolan, you got this. You’ll be fine. I promise.” UD reassured.

 

“What about me you jackass?!” Lou yelled.

 

“Uhh, yeah you too I guess.”

 

“Wow, thanks.”

 

“I’m fine.” Nolan finally replied. “We’ll both be fine.”

 

“Well I hope they eat you first.” Lou said.

 

Nolan looked back at him, squinting, “Didn’t you just say you liked me?”

 

“Take a joke, we’re about to die.”

 

Nolan sighed, while UD was shocked. 

 

_ ‘Really?’  _ UD thought.  _ ‘Is he serious? Lou? Oh come on.’ _

 

“This isn’t a time to joke around, Lou.” UD said with irritation.

 

Lucas came around with a zookeeper who hurriedly rushed to the ledge. “Remain calm. I’ll go into the back of the enclosure and lure them away.” The zookeeper said.

 

Lou sighed, “Thank god.”

 

They had to wait a few more minutes as the lions sat there, just watching. They seemed to lose interest, and once the zookeeper called them over for food they got up and turned to go to the back. Another worker was above the ledge and lowered a ladder for the two of them to climb up. When they got up, UD actually hugged the brunette. Nolan’s eyes widened but then he calmly patted the beta on the back. 

 

“Holy fuck dude, I thought you were dead meat.” UD said as he pulled away to look Nolan in the eyes.

 

“Thankfully I’m still in one piece.”

 

Lou wasn’t sure what to do or say, but he was clearly embarrassed by his confession. He let UD and Lucas talk to them, and eventually their whole clique showed up after they got UD’s text. Lou awkwardly stood there for a few moments before he started to walk away. Nolan noticed him leaving and passed by UD to go follow him. 

 

“Where are you going?” Nolan asked.

 

“To the bus to get my phone.”

 

“It’s not time to leave yet. They won’t let you back on.”

 

“Then I’ll wait outside.”

 

“At least take your jacket back--”

 

“It’s fine. Keep it for now.”

 

“Can we talk about what you said?”

 

Lou stopped, looking down at the ground like he was trying to figure out any excuse to walk away. The only thing he could come up with was a simple ‘not now’. The alpha glanced to Nolan and then continued walking to another exhibit, away from Nolan. 

 

The bus ride back to school was full of silence, this time Lou sat at the window looking out at the scenery the entire trip. Nolan couldn’t distract himself with his phone so he urged UD to switch seats with the people next to him and Lou. UD happily obliged, as time with Nolan was well spent to him. But UD couldn’t shake the thought of Lou’s confession, and neither could Nolan.


	5. Chapter 5

It had been three days since the field trip and Nolan came to school anxious. Moxy put a hand on his shoulder while he was in the hallway before their homeroom class and he jumped in fear. 

 

“O-oh hey Moxy.” Nolan said awkwardly.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Oh just heading to class, you know. Like always.”

 

“I meant like, what’s wrong? You’re all jumpy.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I patted you on the shoulder and you acted scared. Did something happen?”

 

“Can I be honest with you?”

 

“Yeah sure--”

 

Lou suddenly pushed Nolan aside to walk past them. Moxy put a hand on the jock’s shoulder, 

 

“Hey! Can you stop doing that?”

 

Lou turned around and grinned, “Oh what? Do this?” He pushed her backwards and she had to catch herself from falling.

 

Nolan froze up, unsure how to react. Well, he knew how he should have reacted. He should have stood up for her, should have gotten involved. But in reality, the probability of someone stepping in a situation like the one Nolan had found himself standing by the sidelines during, it’s quite a low percentage. Nolan always thought of himself to be the type of person to stand up for others, especially after knowing that other people wouldn’t step in. However he didn’t when Lou knocked Moxy’s stuff out of her hands, or when Moxy hit slapped him in the face. He didn’t even do anything when Lou started yelling at her, trying to break down her self esteem. Instead he stood there, head down, looking to the glossed hallway floor with colored speckles ingrained in them. A teacher stepped in and scolded Lou, forced him to go to class. Lou didn’t even get in trouble for acting out. Moxy was told she shouldn’t have “provoked” the alpha. Nolan and Moxy eventually had to step into the same classroom as the blonde, Moxy with a look of annoyance while Nolan couldn’t even meet his eyes.

 

Lunchtime was full of remarks made by the girl who was still irritated as she stared at the blonde who sat at his table with the other jocks and a group of cheerleaders. Nolan was still scared of doing everything, scared of saying anything. Moxy was too distracted to remember, but UD could tell something was up. 

 

“Hey, Nolan, what’s up man?”

 

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing.”

 

“Nah, something’s wrong.”

 

“I said it’s nothing.” Nolan said, poking at his food after minutes of not eating a single bite. 

 

UD frowned, not sure if he should prod at the boy more or leave it be. Moxy continued to talk, soon turning away from the blonde’s direction and focusing back on her lunch. Wage mentioned how badly she wanted to kick Lou’s ass, while Lucas tried to point out that words could hurt more than physical violence. Ox wasn’t there, as he was usually busy during lunch, but Babo just listened to them go on. UD acted as if he was listening, but was too focused on the brunette by his side. 

 

Nolan knew why he was fearful, why his mind said to flee instead of fight. It was all because he was running out of his heat inhibitors, and his parents weren’t going to get more for him. Instead he had to make his own appointment for the first time in his life and he couldn’t help but be terrified of it. He couldn’t even talk to his teachers over the phone, so how in the world was he supposed to talk to a stranger about such an embarrassing and serious topic? He didn’t understand how insurance worked or any of that. If they were to ask a question he wasn’t sure of the answer to, he knew he’d freeze up and cry. He asked for his parents to at least help him with it but they both said it’d have to wait because they were too busy lately. But he didn’t have long till the pills ran out. He had estimated when it would be and he guessed it would be just next week. Hopefully his parents would help him with the call over the weekend.

 

However his parents must have forgotten after Nolan had asked. He attempted to make the phone call himself but the second someone had picked up he hung up as his heart raced and breathing quickened. It was so ridiculous, he thought. That something so simple could be so terrifying and why? Just for the possibility he could end up embarrassing himself to a stranger that would quickly forget about it? He had to step out of the room, even. It was too much for him that day, he’d try again later. Yet later never came, instead he found himself running out of pills in the middle of the week.

 

He tried explaining to his father that he couldn’t go to school, it could put him in danger, yet of course it was brushed off to the side as he was driven to school so it was made sure that he didn’t purposely miss the bus. He hesitated stepping out of the car but then Moxy saw him and waved towards him. He forced his feet onto the pavement and slammed the car door behind him, whether it was on accident or subconsciously on purpose, he wasn’t sure. But he went over to his group of friends that were on their way inside the building. He just hoped Lou wouldn’t be at school to trigger his hormones.

 

Somehow he was lucky. Lou was either late or didn’t show up that day. He figured it was safe until the class before lunch came around. Lou showed up late and sat down… Right… Next… To…

 

Nolan had to be excused from the class, however instead of raising his hand and asking the teacher he grabbed his bag and left without hesitation in his steps. He rushed for the nearest bathroom, but the closest one was in the gym locker rooms. He sprinted towards the boy’s locker room and slammed the door shut behind him. No one was in there. Thankfully. 

 

It was a heat. He knew it. This wasn’t like a normal arousal, no, it was definitely a heat. 

 

_ ‘Thanks, Lou.’  _ He thought to himself agitated as he set his bag down and sat himself on the bench in the middle of the room between both sets of lockers. He felt unbelievably hot, like someone had stuck him in a sauna and left him there for hours. Sweat dripped from his forehead and he tried wiping it off with his arm but it didn’t seem to do anything. He got up to turn on one of the showers to bathe in cold water but it was too hot at first. He felt the water and instantly recoiled due to the heat. He turned it to the lowest temperature he could but it didn’t go down. He sighed and stepped out of the cube-shaped section where the showers were so he could look for a towel. Then he heard the door open and shut. 

 

Lou approached him and Nolan instantly froze up. He didn’t have to think twice, he knew what was up. Lou was an alpha, and Nolan was having an omega having a heat. Out of all the possibilities, the most cliche one had to occur. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for Lou to pin him up against the dark blue lockers with lustful eyes and a serious expression on his face. Nolan was surprised by his question however.

 

“Do you want to do this?” Lou asked, looking at Nolan but not necessarily meeting his eyes. 

 

“Do what?”

 

“Mate.”

 

“W-we shouldn’t…”

 

Lou bit down on his tongue and backed off, removing his arm from above Nolan’s head and stepping away, “I’ll leave you alone then. You should tell the nurse you’re not feeling well.”

 

Lou turned away and Nolan’s thoughts became scrambled. He knew he shouldn’t say it, but the steam from the shower was like a physical manifestation of his thoughts: foggy, unclear. Not to mention the damn heat that came along with it. It was such a small locker room, all the pheromones in the air… 

 

“Wait.” Nolan said as Lou stopped in his tracks the moment the word reached his ears. 

 

Lou waited for him to continue, but Nolan kept himself from saying it. 

 

Lou turned to face Nolan, “Uhm, this is incredibly random. I never got to ask you after the field trip… Would you want to come to my party this weekend?”

 

“Oh, yeah sure…”

 

“Cool. I’ll give you my number when you’re not… You know.”

 

“Oh, yeah…”

 

Lou gave an awkward smile and then backed out of the room slowly, “I’ll leave you to it then.” 

 

“Thanks.”

 

Lou exited the locker room and held onto his chest that pounded immensely, causing thumping sounds in his head. He felt like a rut was about to take place, so just to be safe he went for the nearest exit to skip the rest of the school day.


	6. Chapter 6

“You really shouldn’t go.” UD insisted at lunch the day of the party.

 

“I can’t believe he invited you.” Wage said, “No offense but, it doesn’t seem like something he’d do.”

 

“It can’t be that bad.” Nolan said. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

 

The whole group looked at him with faces of disbelief.

 

“You serious right now?” UD asked.

 

“... Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

 

“Nolan, I know you’re new and haven’t been to public school much, but you know better than this.” Wage said.

 

Ox sided with her, “She’s right. You know better than this. Lou isn’t a role model. He’s bound to do something wrong.”

 

Nolan looked to Babo and Lucas who nodded as well. Then finally he glanced towards Moxy. The girl looked at him with a worried expression,

 

“We’re just scared for you.” She said.

 

Nolan sighed, “I know, but I’m telling you guys, he’s not that bad.”

 

UD was the only one who knew why Nolan was saying that, but Nolan had no clue that he was aware of the situation. The beta still had the gut instinct that Lou would do something bad though, after all he was an alpha. Alphas were always bad news.

 

“Come on, Nolan. It’s not just one or two of us that are telling you this. It’s all of us. We’ve known Lou a lot longer than you.”

 

“But did you ever actually talk to him?”

 

“I’ve tried.” Moxy admitted. “Then he called me ugly and made me cry.”

 

Nolan tapped his finger against the table, “Maybe he’s just hurt.”

 

“Sure, but it’s not your job to fix him.” UD tried to say. 

 

“I mean, I can try.”

 

Wage shook her head in disappointment, “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

 

“I’ll be fine.”

 

UD sighed, “At least let me come with you.”

 

Nolan bit his lip, “That’s the thing…”

 

“He didn’t invite us…” UD finished. “Of course… It has all the red flags!”

 

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

 

“Not to mention it’s your first party. It’s bound to be a prank.”

 

“I don’t think so.”

 

“There’s no point in trying to convince you huh?” 

 

“Nope.”

 

“Okay, but as your friend, you’ll at least be careful for me okay?”

 

“Of course I will.” Nolan said, ready for the conversation to end. Fortunately it did end, but Nolan was too occupied with his anxious thoughts to join in on the next topic. He remained pretty quiet throughout the rest of the school day, just numbly following his friends along and drowning out their voices. When he got home, however, the numbness faded and his excitement sparked. 

 

He had to decide what to wear but wasn’t sure what. He texted Lou what the theme was, and he was told just to go with whatever. 

 

“What does that even mean?” Nolan said aloud as he messaged him back. He got another text that said to just go ‘casual’. 

 

He searched through his closet for an outfit that was nice but not too formal, which ended up consisting of his usual black pants, a white dress shirt, but instead of formal shoes he got out an old pair of plain converse sneakers that were still in excellent condition due to the lack of attention they got for the whole year he had them. But due to the fact it was supposed to be casual, he left out his usual black tie or vest, and didn’t tuck in his shirt. He placed the clothes on his bed and took a shower, coming back to get dressed and then comb his hair. He messed with his hairstyle a bit before going to his default look. 

 

His parents were waiting downstairs for him and they dropped him off at Lou’s house before going out to dinner. Nolan could already tell by the blaring music that it was going to be just like the movies. He walked in and covered his ears immediately due to the loud sounds. He expected Lou to greet him but the blonde was nowhere in sight. He was suddenly offered a drink by one of the cheerleaders. 

 

She brushed her hair back, “Everyone’s already drunk. Well, pretending they’re drunk.” She shut the door behind Nolan and then whispered to him as he removed his hands from his ears. “I was told to add alcohol to the punch but never did because we’re highschoolers. So everything you’re going to see is purely placebo.”

 

“You’re Mandy, right?” Nolan asked.

 

“Yeah, Nolan?”

 

“Yep.”

 

“Well you’re in for a ride.”

 

“Do you know where Lou is?”

 

“I think he’s out back by the pool.”

 

“There’s a pool?”

 

“Mhm. This is Lou’s father’s house. And his dad is filthy rich. I mean, you saw how big the place was from outside right?”

 

“I wasn’t paying attention…”

 

“I honestly don’t know how you couldn’t. But uh, yeah, there’s a pool. And a game room. And a theater… Hell, there’s a goddamn popcorn machine.”

 

“I should probably go find Lou. Thanks for welcoming me.”

 

“Ah, no problem. Before you go though, is Moxy going to show up?”

 

“Oh uh, no, none of my friends are going to show up as far as I know.”

 

“That’s a shame. Well good luck with Lou.”

 

“Thanks.” Nolan said before passing by other teens who were acting intoxicated as they talked, screamed, and laughed. He found his way outside by the pool and found the blonde drinking from a plastic cup while sitting on a lounge chair. Lou set the cup down on a table and sat up when he saw Nolan approach him.

 

“Oh hey! I didn’t think you’d actually make it.”

 

“Why?”

 

Lou shrugged, “You don’t really seem like a party person.”

 

“We’ll have to find out. It’s my first time…”

 

Lou smirked, “Oh it is?”

 

“Not like that you pervert.”

 

Lou stood up with a light chuckle, “Ah, well, I should probably let you know that I invited your friends.”

 

“You did?”

 

“Yeah, Moxy just texted me a while ago saying she was going to be late, but UD was gonna be here in about five minutes.”

 

“Sounds about right.”

 

Lou put his hands in his pockets, “Well, we plan on playing some games tonight, would you be interested?”

 

“Depends…”

 

“We’ll probably just do something lame like truth or dare.”

 

“Seems like a lot of people for truth or dare.”

 

“I mean, when the crowd dies down. Besides most people will be too drunk to even realize we’re playing.”

 

“Yeah… I guess I’ll join then.”

 

Lou tapped his foot, “Man, things seem a bit awkward between us still.”

 

“I’m not good at talking to begin with, so sorry if things seem a bit dry.”

 

“... Well… Maybe it’s time to get wet.”

 

“Uh, what?”

 

Lou removed his hands from his pockets and pushed Nolan into the pool, but Nolan grabbed a hold of the jock’s jacket before plunging in, dragging him down as well. When both of them were completely soaked, Nolan splashed the blonde,

 

“Asshole!”

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t know what else to do!”

 

“Stop smiling!” Nolan yelled at him, finding the edges of his mouth to form upwards as well.

 

“I said I was sorry!” Lou said, pausing before splashing him back.

 

Nolan did it back until both of them were attacking each other with water, which switched to pool noodles. UD stepped out of the house and shouted to them,

 

“Hey! Idiots!”

 

“Yeah?” Nolan asked.

 

“We’re here now.”

 

“Alright alright, we’ll be out in a second.” Lou said, tapping Nolan on the head with the styrofoam noodle before going to the edge to lift himself out.

 

Nolan went to the stairs and was handed a towel from Lou. Both of them started drying themselves off while UD gave a jealous glare towards the alpha. Lou dried his hair, leaving a blonde fluffy mess at the top of his head which made Nolan giggle. UD looked at him for a second with a disinterested expression before glancing towards the brunette, 

 

“You okay?”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Lou slicked his damp hair back with one hand and then cracked his neck casually, “Well, shall we go inside?”

 

Nolan nodded and the three of them went to the living room where Moxy was already brewing up a conversation with Mandy, her mouth moving fast while the filled drink in her hand seemed to be on the brink of spilling due to her constant hand movements. When she saw the boys walk in she turned her attention to them and waved with her free hand.

 

“Hey guys!”

 

“Hey Mox.” Nolan greeted casually.

 

Lou glanced around, “There’s not  _ that _ many people here. We could start the game now if you want.”

 

Moxy perked up, “Ooo what game?”

 

“I was thinking a classic game of truth or dare would be fun.”

 

“Okay!”

 

Lou shouted for everyone to get quiet which startled Nolan, causing his heart to race for a moment before he realized nothing was wrong. Lou made the announcement that they’d be playing the game and those who didn’t want to participate could either watch or leave the room. A few people did leave, but most just stayed and talked quietly. The game ended up involving Nolan, Lou, UD, Moxy, Many, Lydia, Kitty, Tuesday, and a couple other kids that Nolan had never even met. 

 

“The game is simple, the way we’re going to do it is going to be like a competition. Whoever refuses to speak the truth or do a dare has to back out of the game entirely.”

 

“Anything happen to the winner?” Moxy asked.

 

“I could throw in a special surprise… Whoever wins gets a hundred dollar gift card for any store of their choosing.”

 

“All for a game of truth or dare?” Nolan said as he looked to him.

 

“Yep. Who wants to go first?”

 

“I say you should.” UD said, crossing his arms as he leaned against one of the couches.

 

“Fine by me. I’m assuming you’ll be the asker?”

 

“Okay, truth or dare?”

 

“Truth.”

 

UD muttered under his breath, “Figures…”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Nothing. Okay, is it true you bleach your hair blonde?”

 

Lou paused, smile gone. He wanted to lie but knew everyone would be able to tell if he did, so he went with the truth. 

 

“Yes.”

 

“I knew it.”

 

“Your turn. Truth or dare?”

 

“Truth.”

 

“Is it true you’re the worst on the dance team?”

 

“Hey, that’s not--” Moxy tried to intervene but was cut off by UD’s answer.

 

“Well I’m sure not the best. What about you? Surely you’re not the best on the football team.”

 

“Actually, I’m the coach’s favorite.”

 

“Doesn’t mean you’re good. Just that you’re privileged.”

 

“Call it what you want.”

 

Nolan cut in, “Okay, can we move on?”

 

“Absolutely.” 

 

The game went on, each being asked truth or dare and absolutely no one chose dare. Surprisingly, Nolan wasn’t chosen hardly at all. It gave him some relief, but he felt left out. He didn’t really care about winning a gift card, instead he was more concerned about his reputation with Lou. He was busy thinking to himself when UD was asked another question involving his name. 

 

“Do you have a crush on Nolan?” Lou asked.

 

It didn’t register in his head right away, but UD didn’t seem to take in the question either. Lou repeated himself. UD looked to him, unsure what to say.

 

“It’s just that, I noticed your protective behavior and it just seems you like him a little more than just a friend.” Lou pointed out. “So, do you?”

 

“Fine. I do.” UD admitted, keeping his gaze anywhere besides Nolan’s mismatched eyes.

 

“Interesting.” Lou said. “Because I like him too.”

 

Nolan looked up, cracking a joke out of nervousness, “Don’t tell me that everyone has a crush on the new kid…” He blinked, glancing towards UD and then Lou. “This is a joke, right?”

 

“If either of us lied, we’d be kicked out, so no, sweetheart.”

 

“Oh… Right.”

 

“Maybe we should play something else.” Moxy tried to bring up.

 

“We’ll stop when we have a winner.” Lou stated.

 

It took an hour for people to start backing out voluntarily. Nolan couldn’t help but keep the confessions playing on repeat in his head. He liked Lou a lot, but didn’t want to hurt UD’s feelings. Maybe he’d call it a night and think it over back in his own bed…

 

“Okay, everyone picking truth isn’t going to get us anywhere. So, I propose we change the game to only dares.”

 

“What?” UD asked.

 

“Anyone can back out now if they’d wish. But Nolan, it’s your turn. Time for a dare.”

 

“I-I don’t really do dares…”

 

“I’ll make it easy. All you have to do is play seven minutes in heaven with me. We don’t even have to do anything.”

 

UD stood up, “Oh come on, you clearly can’t--”

 

“Okay, fine.” Nolan said.

 

“What?!”

 

“It’s just seven minutes in a closet. Easy enough.”

 

“Come on, fuck boy here is going to just use you.”

 

“I may be a jock but I understand basic consent.” Lou said. “If I were to do something, he can scream or knock on the closet door. It’s seven minutes, I can’t do anything to him with that little time.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” UD said in a sarcastic tone.

 

Lou looked to Nolan, “So?”

 

“Let’s do it.”

 

Lou smiled and brought him over to the closet across the room, opening the door for him before stepping inside and shutting it behind them.

 

Lou whispered, “Well, how’s the party going?”

 

“A bit weird. For my first party it’s okay, but having both you and my best friend confess to me is a bit… Odd. I’m not sure how to handle that.” Nolan replied.

 

“Yeah, sorry if I got a little… Harsh. Alpha instincts. I get protective.”

 

“Uh huh… Speaking of which, is it really a good idea to be in here together like this?”

 

“I mean, I have self control.”

 

“Really?”

 

“I didn’t attack you in the locker room, did I?”

 

“No, you have a point…” He sighed. “God, what am I going to do though?”

 

“Well, who do you like more?”

 

“I like you. UD is just my friend… I don’t know…”

 

“Sounds like you do know, you’re just scared of hurting his feelings.”

 

“I am.”

 

“Is it okay if I kiss you? Maybe that’ll make up your mind. If not I under--”

 

Nolan grabbed a hold of Lou’s damp jacket, pulling him close and pressing his lips against the alpha’s. The two of them slowly made out for a single minute, but it wasn’t long before the two of them were completely at each other like it was a life or death situation. Lou dug into his back pocket for his wallet and pulled out a large condom, then tossed the wallet onto the floor. He forced the packet into Nolan’s hands and the omega looked at it as Lou started unzipping his pants. 

 

Was he seriously doing this? All his life he had this inner voice that told him to be ashamed of being an omega. To be ashamed of sex and mating. All the stigma around being a male omega made him uneasy about it. Until now. Maybe it wasn’t so bad, he thought. 

 

Soon enough the condom was on and Nolan’s pants were stripped down off of him. Nolan was back against the wall as they made out. Lou only stopped to take his jacket off and then kept going. Lips smacking against each other while teeth clicked as they accidentally clashed, both of them knowing it was their first time without saying a single word. Nolan was almost breathless when Lou grabbed a hold of his dick, ready to put it inside the small omega in front of him. The brunette looked down, wanting to see it happen in front of him. Lou looked to him for confirmation and it was given. He held up one of Nolan’s legs and moved his hips forward up into the omega, sliding it in slowly. It was already slick enough for easy insertion. Nolan threw his head back, hitting his head but not caring at his clumsy mistake. Lou set a pace for the both of them to work with, and Nolan had to keep his right leg from giving out due the weakness that started to form from keeping his weight up. 

 

“Mmf, Lou... How many minutes do we have?”

 

“Like, five.”

 

“Can you finish that quickly?”

 

Lou gave a slight chuckle as he thrust in, “That doesn’t matter. What matters is how fast I can get you to finish.”

 

“We’ll see then.” Nolan smirked back.

 

Lou looked down at the brunette, watching Nolan’s mismatched eyes shift upwards that met his own in the darkness.

 

“Gorgeous…” He muttered under his breath.

 

“What was that?” Nolan asked in a breathy whisper.

 

“You’re gorgeous…” He repeated.

 

“We don’t have time for that…”

 

“Eager, aren’t we?”

 

“Just keep going.”

 

Lou remained quiet besides the occasional grunt from his movements, meanwhile Nolan had one hand up to his mouth to keep from making small squeaks. After some time Nolan began to panic.

 

“L-Lou, we should finish up now.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah I don’t want--”

 

The door swung open at the most inconvenient time. UD was there with Moxy and a few other people behind them. The expressions of shock stared at the two in the closet and Nolan’s face warmed up in embarrassment. UD slammed the door shut and didn’t wait for a single minute to gather his thoughts, instead he went for the exit and stormed out. Nolan didn’t think twice before shoving Lou off and getting his clothes back on. He opened the door and looked to Moxy.

 

“Where--”

 

“He left.”

 

Nolan rushed to the front door and ran after the male beta that was already walking down the street. The omega caught up to him,

 

“Hey! UD!”

 

“What is it?” UD asked, stopping and turning around.

 

Nolan paused because he was surprised due to the fact UD was crying. The beta wiped his eyes,

 

“Well?”

 

“I’m sorry... I don’t really know what to say.”

 

“I’m just gonna though then.”

 

“Wait, don’t. I shouldn’t have done that… Especially after knowing you liked me. I should have waited.”

 

“It’s fine…”

 

“Not really.”

 

“Look, I get it. I’m not your type or whatever. You can’t help that.”

 

“I-it’s not that I don’t like you--”

 

“Don’t lie to me, man. I’m not an alpha. I’m not a jock. I’m no rich fuck boy with bleached hair and a mansion.”

 

“That’s--”

 

“Too accurate for you? I don’t wanna be sugar coated, Nolan. Just get to the point. Why do you like him?”

 

“He’s… Nice?”

 

“And I’m not?”

 

“No! You are! I’m just, I don’t know how to describe it.”

 

“It’s because he’s an alpha. You’re an omega.”

 

“You know…?”

 

“Of course I know! It’s not that hard to tell. But that’s not why I like you. I like you because you’re cute. You have a great taste in music and you actually include me conversations… We haven’t known each other that long but I thought we really bonded. Yet, you chose the guy who dunked your head in the toilet and harrassed your friends.”

 

“He’s not that bad.”

 

“Christ, Nolan… What? Does he not know how to express his feelings properly? Do you really think that excuses his dickish behavior?”

 

“Maybe if you talked to him…”

 

“Maybe if I talked to him… Okay Nolan, and tell me, how would that make this any less harder for me? Because right now, I don’t give a shit about him. I care about  _ you.  _ And I want to know why  _ you  _ chose  _ him.” _

 

Nolan stood still, looking into UD’s glassy eyes as he tried to come up with some kind of speech that would make it all easier for him. But there honestly wasn’t anything he could say that would make any of it ease.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

UD sighed, “Yeah, I know… Well, good luck I guess.” 

 

It was a simple phrase but Nolan was heartbroken. As UD left him there on the sidewalk in the dark, Nolan thought about how awful their interactions at school would be then. He really fucked it up. He could have let his friend down a little easier if he didn’t jump the gun. But it was already done, he thought.

 

Lou approached him from behind and put his jacket around the brunette,

 

“Hey, you okay?”

 

“Not really.”

 

“Let’s go inside, yeah?”

 

“Sure…”

 

Lou put a hand on Nolan’s back and guided him back into the house, where everyone was already talking about the events that had happened. Yet it wasn’t long before people shrugged it off as they started dating. The only person who refused to shrug it off was UD. 


End file.
